Following a recent screening of 124 students in two Lewis County elementary schools, one of the team of dental specialists from the University of Kentucky remarked that the cases here were some of the worst he has seen in his career.

That career has included four years in Kuwait where he treated some 36,000 children, stints in some of the poorer areas of the US and his time UK where the team has examined thousands of children from across the Commonwealth.

One of his colleagues agreed. "Of the 40 counties we've been in over the past two years, this is one of the more serious situations we've seen," he said during the debriefing immediately after the screening. The screening included students from kindergarten through the sixth grade.

Since that visit about a month ago, the most severe cases have been treated or are undergoing extensive treatment.

Dr. Ron Mays and Dr. John O'Cull have seen most of the children included in the January screening and have referred them to the appropriate pediatric dental specialists or are now treating the dental problems themselves. The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry has agreed to see the most difficult of the cases.

The survey team issued two lists of summary recommendations, one short term and one long term.

With local assistance, most of those short term recommendations are underway.

• Work with local dentists, dentists in surrounding counties and UK College of Dentistry to get needed follow-up care for the children with the urgent care group as first priority.
  
• Organize a county dental coalition to develop a local plan to address oral health issues. Strong consideration should be given to developing a dental program targeting underserved groups as part of the Lewis County Family Health Center.
  
• Work with state Oral Health Program to assess fluoride status in the county and implement appropriate preventive strategies in this area.
  
• Survey by questionnaire eighth graders to assess their status compared to eighth graders across the state.

With the assistance of the local dentists, the Lewis County Family Health Center, the family resource centers and school nurses, the first recommendation has been taken care of. Many of the children with the most severe problems required extensive oral surgery and reconstruction.

The second recommendation is well on the way to becoming a reality. The first meeting of the Lewis County Dental Coalition will be held this week.

The third and fourth recommendations are in the process of being implemented and will be an early task for the Dental Coalition to work on.

(Read the rest of the story and statistics in this week's print version of The Lewis County Herald. Next week: long term recommendations and more statistics.)

Lewis County Fiscal Court heard good news about the Lewis County Justice Center Project at its regular monthly session last week.

Sam Howard of Trace Creek Construction serves as construction manager for the project. He informed magistrates that the project was in budget and on schedule, and may even be finished about three weeks earlier than expected. The project, he said, should be completed in May, adding that the project is 75 to 80 percent complete.

Howard reminded magistrates that the building is being constructed with state monies and is not costing Lewis County taxpayers one penny out of the county budget.

Dennis Brown/ Herald

Lewis County Judge Executive George Plummer looks at the entrances to one of the courtrooms of the Lewis County Justice Center. Trace Creek Construction's Sam Howard said the project should be completed in May.

The Electric Plant Board of the City of Vanceburg welcomed the good news from Superintendent Phil Kennedy in last week's regular session.

Kennedy told board members that natural gas costs are lower as a result of a drop in price coupled with mild weather. He recommended that natural gas rates be reduced by 20 percent across the board for the January 20 through February 20 billing cycle. The board quickly complied with his recommendation.

Kennedy also said he doesn't expect an increase in the process in March although he could not guarantee that.

In his superintendent's report, Kennedy said that the bond closing for the Transmission Line Project was held that day, February 13.

Referring to that project, he reported that the new water tank is completed except for the vault and fencing. He also said that the water line has been installed halfway through Rock Run.

He reported that bad weather and a delay in getting materials had delayed the project and the workers were a little behind schedule.

Deputy Bryon Walker said the incidents all happened on Wednesday afternoon beginning in the Garrison area when the suspect entered Bentley's store. The suspect took a pair of boots from the store and then attempted to return them in exchange for cash. The store attendant wouldn't exchange the boots without a receipt and the suspect left with the boots.

Walker said the suspect then reportedly went to Collins Food Center and took three packages of Polaroid film. He attempted to exchange the film for cash and again was unsuccessful, leaving with the film.

The suspect then went to McCane's Auto Service Center in Garrison where he took two boxes of brake shoes and entered the office area where he apparently tried to open the cash register, Walker said.

When the mechanic, who was in the garage area, heard the cash register, he entered the office area where the suspect said he had accidentally touched one of the keys on the cash register when he placed the boxes of brake shoes on the counter. He then attempted to exchange the brake shoes for cash. When the mechanic refused, the suspect left, leaving the brake shoes behind.

A short while later, Vanceburg Police were notified that someone had taken four boxes of over the counter medication from Super Quick in Vanceburg and successfully exchanged them for $27.96. The suspect also allegedly walked out of Super Quick with a 12-pack of beer without paying for it.

The suspect was last seen at Vanceburg Food Mart where he purchased gas. Attendants there said they did not notice anything missing after the suspect left.

Walker said the suspect is described as a white male in his mid 30s with a tall and slender build and red hair. He was wearing a brown and white flannel shirt, blue jeans and a blue jean jacket. He was driving a black and gray late 1980s model Ford Ranger with a white camper top and Ohio license plates.

Sheriff Bill Lewis said they do have a suspect in the case. The suspect, he said, may have been involved in a similar shoplifting spree in 1993. Anyone with information on the incidents should contact the Lewis County Sheriff's Department at 606-796-2912 or the Vanceburg Police Department at 606-769-2111.

Dennis Brown/Lewis County Herald

Workers pour the concrete floor in what will be the storage and shipping area at Coroplast in the Black Oak Industrial Park. With the expansion project and rail spur project nearing completion and the delivery of equipment, the company will soon be producing corrugated plastic.

Paula Franke/Lewis County Herald

The last service to be held in the old Happy Hollow Union Church will be Thursday, February 22, at 7:00 p.m. The first service in the new church will be held Sunday, February 25. Pastor James R. Williams invites pastors, friends and everyone to join him and the congregation for their last service in the old church.